Solo A Trail Traveled Part III

Moritz heads into the wilds to meet someone new...

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The vast mountain range of Kalea is home of secret valleys, dead-end canyons, and passes that lead to places long forgotten or yet to be discovered.

A Trail Traveled Part III

Postby Moritz Craven on December 22nd, 2020, 11:14 pm

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Heading out from the gate and into the peripheries of Lhavit and the surrounding wilds, Moritz looked about. He was at least dressed this time, not immediately intending to shift into his kelvic form, and was wearing his boots and other clothing. He also had his pack in his back, but this was mostly empty and more in case he needed to stow his things inside.

The last time he had been out of the city quite a few things had occurred. Things involving his guide, a boar, and various other animals. And a woman, one Moritz had not met before, whom seemed to understand what Mortiz meant and said even in his Okomo form.

He was unsure why, but the woman had asked him to join her again on this day, the first of winter, and so he had headed outside of the city to see why. He had helped her boar ally, but he did not think that was the whole thing. Perhaps she just wanted to meet an Okomo? Or maybe something more was going on... Moritz was unsure, but knew something of interest was to happen.

And still in his mind he saw the same thing, the glint of light, the flash of illumination from the depth of Aja and her animal companions. Each had been marked by the same oddly glowing eyes, sometimes brightly lit and sometimes not but all marked in the same way. It had intrigued Moritz, and he wanted to learn more of it. Which was another reason he had come when asked.

Looking around Moritz tried to find Aja, but did not see her about. After a few moments he did however notice a dog off to the side of the gate, lazing out in the sun much as Naymon liked to do. As the dog saw him exiting and looking about it had risen and turned. As it did Moritz saw the same sudden glint of light as the hounds eyes went from normal to lit in an unusual fashion.

Heading over Moritz puzzled for a moment, unsure what to do, when he settled on speaking.

"Uh, hello. Not sure if we met before. But I met some other dogs like you with eyes like that. I'm here to see Aja. Do you know where she is."

For a few moments the dog stared at Moritz, and then turned and began to walk off. Moritz considered this for a moment, before realizing the dog wanted him to follow. Aja then was somewhere nearby? Though how she had gotten a dog to follow commands well enough that it could know to wait for a certain person and to bring that person back to them... Well Moritz was at a loss as to how that had been done. More and more interesting Mortiz found things to be.

With that Moritz followed the dog in silence, watching where it was taking him. As they walked Mortiz heard a sound from overhead, the cry of a bird of prey, something he suddenly recalled hearing about Aja and before he had met her.


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A Trail Traveled Part III

Postby Moritz Craven on December 24th, 2020, 4:10 pm

It was only a few chimes walk following the dog before Aja came into sight. She was not too far from the city, and was sitting with various animals. Goats, dogs, some birds, and the large boar named Jack. She was sitting with her legs crossed on the ground, seeming to gaze deeply into the eyes of one of the birds. It almost seemed like they were having a conversation, but without words.

As Moritz neared he noticed something else. All of the animals, big and small, had the same eyes. Or at least, the same odd extra pattern on her eyes. Some of these patterns, an explosion of light from the pupil, were lit. Some were not. This also seemed odd, though the fact that all of them had the same pattern seemed to mean something. Moritz was unsure what that was, but knew it had to mean something.

Holding up a hand Moritz tried to get Aja's attention, but she seemed focused on whatever she was doing. The bird moved around a bit, but otherwise stared back with the same odd eye pattern. This went on for another chime or two before the bird suddenly burst into motion and flew off. With a smile Aja turned to face Moritz, her eyes lit.

"Sorry, just had to finish our exchange. She's a good bird, has good eyes. She keeps me aware of whats going on in a way only a bird could. Anyways, how are you Moritz?"

Moritz paused, puzzling over the greeting, before answering truthfully.

"I suppose I'm the same as normal, no better or worse. Though I am a bit more excited than normal, as I've been looking forward to meeting again and finding some things out. Your eyes for instance, you all seem to have the same eyes... I was wondering about that. And why all of your eyes seem to be lit sometimes, and not sometimes."

A smile still on her face, Aja gazed deeply at Moritz with her eyes alight.

"All in good time. I could tell you all of that, but I've not decided if I will. First I want to know more about you. How you think. Things like that. Then I'll decide what I'll say and do. So Moritz, what is it that you do? Who are you?"

Moritz puzzled for a few moments, wondering on what he should say. The woman had not lied or avoided the topic. No, she had simply explained that she was not yet willing, but might be once they had talked further. As usual Moritz decided the best policy was to just be honest. He had nothing about what she asked to hide, and so he had no reason not to.

"I am Moritz Craven. Son of Madeira Craven. I am an Okomo kelvic, born here in Lhavit. I go to school to learn things. Words and numbers, and the like. I am learning to fight as well, to be able to defend myself and others I care for. Though that is at another place. And I have a dog named Naymon, that looks a lot like your dogs. And I'll be two years old come the start of spring."

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A Trail Traveled Part III

Postby Moritz Craven on December 24th, 2020, 4:48 pm

Aja listened as Moritz spoke, not interrupting or interjecting. Instead she simply let him speak his piece, considering and thinking. And then once he was done speaking she took a moment to think over his words before responding.

"I figured some of that from when we met before, but nice to hear. Though your learning to fight. Any specific reasons? And have you been in any fights before? I'm a decent hand at fighting. My hawk friends, they aren't just for looking around. We also go hunting. I have quite a pack with me, as you can see, and many eat meat. We can't all be Okomo. Though I suppose that'd only be in your other form, not as you are now."

Moritz frowned, unsure about the comment. He had avoided partaking of animals before, but this woman seemed to not have the same restrictions. Which felt odd to Moritz seeing as she had so many animal companions with her. An entire pack of friends, of animal companions, and she had no issue with eating meat and partaking of animals.

"Actually... I don't eat meat. Or anything from animals. It just seems... Wrong to me. If I can live by plant and things alone, why should I have to make another being suffer to feed me? Suffer and die in the case of meat. I'd rather not kill anything if I didn't have to."

Aja continued her smile, examining Moritz as she did. For a moment she seemed about to say something, but thought better of it and kept to silence. After another chime she did speak, not harshly but with a depth of understanding.

"I understand what you mean. And I wouldn't like to see anyone or anything suffer unnecessarily. But at the same time, life and death are two halves of the same Miza. You cannot have one without the other. Both are needed or balance will be lost."

With a gesture Aja focused on a hound who responded by coming close. Scratching it on the head Aja turned back to Moritz and continued.

"I follow Caiyha. She is a Goddess of Flora and Fauna." Seeing Mortiz confusion at the term Aja smiled and laughed, though not unkindly, before explaining further. "That would be plants and animals, flora and fauna. Her domain is over them all. I am a Witch, one of her followers, and in my small part I too watch over her domain. Protecting it. She does not abide slaughter or waste. But at the same time life and death are all a part of her world. Life, plants, nature, are all part of a great cycle. An endless one. Predator and prey. Plant and animal. Scavenger and dead. Each play their part. Take out one, and the cycle would break. The weak die so that the strong can live."

Clearly unsure about all that had been said, Moritz pondered further.

"Yes but... Does anyone, or anything, need to die for that? Can't we just... Live together in harmony?"

"Tell me this. The lion. Cougar. Birds of prey. They eat meat. Subsist on it. If they did not kill then they would not eat. And then they would starve and die. Is it wrong for them to try to live? They do not kill out of malice. They kill out of need. There is no waste in that. No loss. Everything is kept and passed on to make another stronger. Even grass is alive. You say you are better because you do not partake of animals, but plants are alive to. I can speak to them, in a way. Clearly they are not alive in the same way as animals, but they are still alive. It does not matter what, you must kill to live. Plants are still alive. Just because you cannot hear them cry does not mean they are not alive."

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A Trail Traveled Part III

Postby Moritz Craven on December 24th, 2020, 5:07 pm

Moritz was somewhat concerned by these words. Plants were alive. Not alive in the same way, but still alive. His existence caused death, even if it was on unfeeling things. Plants. Was he no better than other beasts that ate meat?

Seeing Moritz clouded expression at her words Aja smiled and attempted to calm the young kelvics thoughts.

"Do not worry on it. I did not say that to indicate you are bad, or that anyone is. The point I was making is all living things, except for plants which are not aware, need to partake of another living thing to live. Plants grow, and are eaten by other animals. Those animals are eaten by bigger animals, hunters, the like. And so on. And when they die the scavengers eat what is left, and they all go back into the ground as food for the plants. Life. Death. It is all a game of a great unseen balance. Dira the Goddess of Death does not begrudge Kihala the Goddess of Life. Each know that they have a part to play, and nature all takes place within that balance, under Caiyha's watching eyes. A small part of which I am a component. I do not make animals suffer, do not waste, but I do not shy from dying or killing or such."

Considering her words Moritz nodded, not having thought about such things in such a way before. He had much to think on, and did not think he would settle the accounts of his mind right then. He would need to take time to work out how he felt about such things, and what he would do going forward. As he thought on this though another thing occurred to him.

"What about Gods and Goddesses? They don't grow old and die. How does that work? Seems a bit unfair, that they don't but everyone else does."

"Ah, well that is a special case. The divine are not wholly part of our cycle, our system of life and death. They are a part of their own outside of the world. But then they are divine, above us, different, so is it so odd to think they would not be the same as us?"

Smiling Aja let out a chuckle at the expression of concentration on Moritz face.

"Well if I have learned one thing about you, it is that you are open. Open to change. To new ideas. You are not locked into one way of seeing things. That is important. A good thing for someone to grow and change and become better. You told me what you thought, your belief, but when I gave a logical and valid argument against it, you were willing to listen. Not everyone could do that."

Moritz continued to ponder things for a moment, listening, working through the logic and words, as Aja spoke.

"I mean... How could I do anything else? I try to be as logical as I can, while making as little suffering as I can. I suppose that is my goal in life. To... Do good. To be good. And the approach to that I take is what I do. What I am. I try to do what is right, while acting as I believe I should. In order to do that I am always learning, changing, gaining new skills, finding new ways to do things. That is as much a part of me, as I am, as anything else I am. What about you? What kind of person are you?"

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A Trail Traveled Part III

Postby Moritz Craven on December 24th, 2020, 5:23 pm

Aja smiled at Moritz words again, letting out another light chuckle.

"I suppose I am a similar sort of person. I do not pursue suffering, and try to do what is right. But at the same time, sometimes it is needed. As I said before, I am a Witch of Caiyha. Due to that, I have a connection to nature, an understanding of it that others do not. I can understand nature, speak to it in a sense, in a way others cannot. And in part because of that I see the bigger picture of things. Balance is key, bringing balance to the world and things, that is key. If one person must die, or suffer, for that, to make overall balance, then I am willing to do that. That is the sort of person I am."

Gesturing about at the pack of animals about them, Aja continued to smile at Moritz.

"But that does not mean I must act alone, that I cannot ask for help or find people of a like mind. None of my friends here are forced. They have all chosen to accompany me. They are all my pack, my family. Some come, some go, most stay admittedly but a few do leave. But for the time they are with me we are a family. Does that make sense?"

Moritz nodded, looking around and seeing the animals in a new light.

"Yes. You have made your own family, rather than relying just on the ones you were born with. You have friends, and companions, and you help each other. That makes sense to me. And even if one of those chosen family members, friends, companions, leaves, they are still a part of that family. Is that why you all share the same eye things? Is that part of how your family works?"

Thinking on things for a moment Aja smiled and shrugged, not quite giving an immediate answer.

"Well, that is sort of its own thing. My original family by blood, we shared an ability. One that was passed down from parent to child and onward for many generations. I am a decedent of that tradition, even if I have parted from that family and purpose by choosing my own and Caiyha. And I have passed that ability on to my family here. When the ability is passed on, your eyes are marked as such afterwards. It is a sign of anyone who has the gift. And as you asked before, when the gift is in use the marking becomes lit. It glows. In some ways it is a burden, in others a gift. I would not force it upon anyone but... Would you like to become a part of my chosen family, and to share in my families gift?"

Moritz was shocked by the offering, wanting to know more but not willing to give an immediate answer.

"Ah... Possibly, but I would need to know more. Does this gift, this ability, have a name? How about we start there."

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A Trail Traveled Part III

Postby Oralie on March 20th, 2022, 8:39 am

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grade award!


...
Moritz

Skills
  • Observation: 1
  • Socialisation: 2
  • Philosophy: 1

Lores
  • Aja: A Witch
  • Moritz: The feeling of moral conflict
  • Moritz: Wants to do good

...


Please PM me if you have any questions or concerns and don't forget to edit your grade request!
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